Second Best
by Enchanted Kagome
Summary: Kagome hates being overshadowed by her sister, Kikyou. And she is dead tired of being talked into things by Kikyou...especially since this last one just might get her head seperated from the rest of her body.
1. Why Me

Second Best  
  
by: Enchanted Kagome  
  
~~~Kagome's POV~~~  
  
The moment I saw Kouga coming, I ran out of our cottage and into the woods. I knew why he's here...at least...I know now. I was stupid to have that he liked me. Just like all the other villagers, the object of his affection and praise is my sister-the "oh-so-perfect" Kikyo. I'm just "Kikyo's sister." I doubt even half the village knows me by any other name. Afterall, "Kikyo's sister" is more of a praise than "Kagome."  
  
It's not that I care so much about her beating me at…well…pretty much everything, it's more about how hard it is to live it up. When you have a sister who's the very image of perfection, it's hard not to be overshadowed. Take the contest for finding the young prince some wife candidates; Kikyo was the first name, top on the list for our village. Not that I envy her. I wouldn't want some stuck-up wealthy prince to choose me 'cause I looked pretty-though my beauty probably wouldn't have matched my sister's anyway. But, then again, life sucks when you are second best.  
  
When I finally reenter the cottage, I knew I had missed something important. Before I could ask, Kikyo bounded up (not literally-that's "too unladylike" for her) and grabbed my hands.  
  
"OH, Kagome! Kouga's asked me to marry him!" Great, another point for her. She's better than me at everything, and now she'd just proved her life is officially better than mine.  
  
"I am so happy for you," I replied without an ounce of enthusiasm. However, Kikyo was totally oblivious to the sarcasm I had. The idea that I wouldn't be happy for her is to complicated to get through her skull, nor go into her "kind" brain and heart. All the same, so much better fitted she and Kouga would be. "So…how are you gonna choose?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Oh yeah. She hadn't been out for the whole day, too busy staying in her own pool of happiness.  
  
"You've been selected as one of the ladies in our village to go serve that young Inu-youkai prince…Inu-Kaka or something," I replied. She gasped, though from pleasure or dismay, I couldn't tell.  
  
"But…then…I can't marry Kouga…"  
  
I became extremely exasperated. Either she was plain naïve, or she flatters her own beauty to much,  
  
"For Kami's sake! You realize how easy it is to get sent home? All you have to do is act un-Kikyo-ish for a week! Or, if it's any easier for you, act like me for a week!" But, then again, it's probably impossible for her to act unladylike, and it would KILL her to be un-Kikyo-ish for a second! On second thought, it might just be because she doesn't KNOW how to act unladylike. I doubt she even knows how to swim-not that I ever ask. Yes, I know, what a great and caring sister I am!  
  
~~~Inu-Yasha's POV~~~  
  
SMASH!  
  
I've just finished throwing the last vase in my room. Looking around, I decided to start with the furniture. My chairs are the most expendable, since I usually rest on the amazing invention called a bed. (I have discovered that it's all-purposeful.) Now, I prefer throwing vases when I'm mad, but, Mom left KIRA in charge. The servants, under my sister's orders, had stopped replacing the smashed vases. They are definitely more scared of her than me.  
  
Mother left for home early a day ago. Around that time, I had also, 'coincidentally', found out the reason of my delayed return. It was pretty straightforward, but then again, my sister's ALWAYS straightforward. They're gathering the best girls in the kingdom, human or youkai, to come compete to be my future bride. Sesshoumaru hadn't found a wife yet, and I have too! (Mainly because Mom finds Sesshoumaru too hard to deal with, and now comes preying on me!)  
  
I had just finished throwing another chair when my sister's voice reached me.  
  
"I swear, Inu-Yasha, I will make you deaf and scream 'til your head bursts if you don't stop, RIGHT NOW!"  
  
"You can hear it too," I replied.  
  
"That's what these specially made earmuffs are for," I began shuffling around my room for look for mine. I hadn't gone more than 5 steps when she shouted again. "Don't bother looking for yours. I told the servants to take them away." I curse in my head. How come she's always so level-headed, and has EVERYTHING planned out so she blocks ALL my exits, even the ones I don't have the sense to see?  
  
"Inu-Yasha, don't make me drug you!"  
  
"That's plain LOW! Even Sesshoumaru wouldn't do that!" I was really angry. Not only does she ALWAYS get the better of me, she's also so commanding!  
  
"I'm much more practical that Sess! I'll go to ANY length to achieve the desired effect. You know, don't you? So you better believe it!" Most unfortunately, I did.  
  
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	2. First Meeting

Second Best  
  
By: Enchanted Kagome  
  
~~~Kagome's POV~~~  
  
"PLEASE, KAGOME! HELP YOUR POOR SISTER!"  
  
I sighed.  
  
"Would it really KILL you to act unladylike for a week?" I was currently trying to ply her hands off of my kimono.  
  
"But…there has to be another way…"  
  
"Yeah, if you want someone to take your place, and pretend to be you!"  
  
"You are BRILLIANT, Kagome! By Kami, you are! That's prefect! You can be me and take my place!"  
  
Now, before I choose, I should answer a few questions.   
  
Did I want to get into this whole mess? Definitely not.   
  
Did I look like I have a choice? No, not really.   
  
What are the consequences of saying no? I might have to drag along Kikyo for the rest of my life, since she ain't gonna unplug her hands if I don't agree.   
  
What are the consequences of saying yes? I will be able to get rid of Kikyo. But I will also be lieing to royalty, which can result in my head separating from my body before I age another year.  
  
Which consequence is harsher? Can't tell.  
  
Which question's worth most? Unfortunately, the one about whether I have a choice.  
  
Do you have one now? If you call agreeing a choice-then yes. If you don't consider agreeing a choice-then no, not really.  
  
~~~Inu-Yasha's POV~~~  
  
I was FINALLY let out of my room, only after I'd given my SOLEMN word not to run off, and destroy more things, and let my sister's guards (who were all full-youkais) accompany me.  
  
"I've already given my word, so you might as well leave me be!" I snapped at them, extremely exasperated. They've been tailing me all day, like ticks after blood.  
  
"Sorry prince. The lady's orders were…"  
  
"I know, I know…" We've only been through that 37 times already.  
  
"She'll take our heads if you-…"  
  
"Do I LOOK like I CARE?"  
  
"You should," a guard muttered.  
  
I flipped around and, taking him by the collars, shook him HARD.  
  
"Well I DON'T!"  
  
"Inu-YASHA!" Uh-oh! My hands slipped and I turned guiltily around to face my sister.  
  
"L-Lady K-Kira…" the guards, along with everyone else there, trembled. She can be as scary as Sesshoumaru when she's mad.  
  
"Inu-Yasha. Exactly what are you planning on doing to my guard?"  
  
I tried to look innocent. I even acted innocent for a while. "Um...let me think...nothing?" She glared at me. "Not good enough an answer?"  
  
"Since you realize that, you had better be frank with me. Trust me, you don't want to know how far I'd go for the truth."  
  
She's right. I didn't.  
  
"Um...I think I hear Narissa call!" Narissa was my old nurse maid. My sister looked EXTREMELY unconvinced, but, not wanting to make a huge scene, she allowed me to slip away under that pretense.  
  
I personally think that Kira would make a GREAT queen. She's got the skills, and the power and respect-duh!-and the ability and talent. For one thing, she looks more demon, and probably had more demonic genes than me. Her ears were better than mine, probably the best in the hanyou range, and maybe even a bit better than some bad/middle demon ranges. They were long and semi-sharp, like Sesshoumaru's. Her hair, however, were human looking. No color that a human would consider weird-like my white mane (which happens to be my biggest pride, thank you very much). Her's were black and flowing, soft, too. She didn't really have what most demons would consider claws, but they were much more useful than those of the pathetic humans. Yet, her posture and such made her much more commanding than the most lordly demons in our kingdom.  
  
Finally, I was back in the safety of my room, now deprived of vases, and thus flowers, chairs and some other furniture.  
  
"Inu-Yasha!"  
  
Uh-oh! She STILL hadn't let me off yet? I kept quiet.  
  
"I know you are up there! Your BRIDE-TO-BE's are here, and you are expected to come down to dinner in another hour, so wash and get dressed. And [in a more menacing tone] you will dress APPROPRIATELY, you hear?"  
  
"Uh-huh," I replied, glad to be off the hook. Then, I remembered Miroku. "Will Miroku be present at the dinner?"  
  
"Will it make you behave better?"  
  
"Definitely."  
  
"OK. I'll give it a try, but I'm warning you, keep his HANDS AWAY from the GIRLS! As much as you may want to terrorize them into leaving, the Royal Treasury hadn't enough money to pay for ALL those poor and petrified-for-life girls!"  
  
"'K! 'K! I'll look out for Miroku."  
  
"You better," was the muttered threat.  
  
Well, at least I'll actually have something to DO tonight.  
  
~*~*~  
  
I jumped from the top of the third floor to the bottom corridor-a piece of cake for a hanyou like me. But, I waited for Miroku, who, being a human, could not jump such a distance without seriously injuring himself (such as being paralyzed for life-though I don't know for sure because I've never prevailed on him to jump for me). I glanced out the window to see a carriage, obviously with one of my "potential bride" in it. So, my sister said to DRESS appropriately, she never mentioned anything about ACTING appropriately, or TALKING for that matter. Deciding to have some fun, I led Miroku out into the courtyard.  
  
I watched as a raven-haired girl was handed out of the carriage. OK, I guess, for a human anyway. I jabbed Miroku in the stomach and whispered my plan of action to him. He seemed appalled at the fact that I'd disobey my sister like that, but growing up together had overcame most of our fear of her. Together, we walked over and pretended to be servants. I carelessly bumped into the new girl and knock her into one of those convenient after-the-rain puddles.  
  
She stood up again, without one glance at me or Miroku. The only part of her mutterings to herself, that I caught was "…being Kikyou…" This had to be the easiest one! Then, a second later, she sent me the most chilling glare ever.  
  
"You're going to wish you never lived," the girl said.  
  
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OHHHH! First clash!  
  
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